This roguelike deck builder mixes up genre greats for a Slay The Spire-like RPG with real-time combat

Following the massive success of Vampire Survivors and other oddball roguelikes, we've seen many games looking to jump into the number-crunching, auto-battler fray with their takes on the bizarre mash-up of genres - however, one upcoming game ups the ante with its spin on a roguelite, a stylish 2D adventure, and auto-battling deck-building RPG.

Just launched this week on Steam, Racine is a new type of roguelite that blends the strategic deck-building RPG mechanics of Slay the Spire, with the quick real-time action where the focus is quite actually about playing your cards at the right time.

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The roguelite RPG Racine puts you in the role of an adventurer skilled at wielding magical cards to slay monsters and overcome challenges. Much like the game loop of other roguelites, Racine has you traverse a randomized path filled with uncertain encounters and threats that'll test your skills with the cards. As you level up and gain new cards for your deck, you'll encounter new challenges that'll change your strategy and tactics to make it to the end of your journey.

This twist on a deck-building roguelite with auto-battler gameplay features many neat and compelling hooks. Not only does it feature some stunning 2D visuals that call to mind games like Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery and the original Risk of Rain, but its unique take on auto-battle combat recently popularized by Vampire Survivors ensures that it's not just a passive experience. During battles, your character will attack on their own, but you'll still need to engage different cards at your disposal to counter enemy attacks and set up daring finishing blows.

Racine looks like a clever spin on genres, and one that makes for a compelling twist on what roguelites can be. Out now on Steam, the developers have put Racine on sale at a 10% discount, so fans of the deck-building RPG and roguelite genres have got a cheaper way to jump into this new and very weird take on a deck-building RPG.

For more on other cool indie games, check out our roundup of upcoming indie games coming in 2023 and beyond.

Alessandro is a freelance writer and editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area who has covered the games, tech, and entertainment industries for more than 13 years. Having previously worked at GameSpot, CNET, and various other outlets writing features and coordinating event coverage, Alessandro enjoys playing games on PC, but also gives plenty of time to his Nintendo Switch. You can find him on various socials at @afillari.